#5 Jeff Gardner, OF

Active

Gardner, a Louisville, Ky. native, joined the Otters midway through the 2016 season after spending time in the Washington Nationals’ organization. Gardner played collegiately at the University of Louisville and he was named to the 2014 Louisville Slugger and NCBWA All-America second teams after his senior season in which he hit .313 with nine home runs and 68 RBIs. He was drafted in the eighth round of the 2014 MLB Amateur Draft by the Nationals and split time between Auburn and Hagerstown from 2014-16. In 45 games with Evansville in 2016, Gardner hit .242 with six home runs and 24 RBIs. Last season, batted .278 with a league-leading 23 home runs and 86 RBIs.